Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lura, the young seller of Vienna, was a realistic designer who was different from the existing designers. Rather than clothes that could be worn on skinny bodies such as mannequins, they were designed to supplement realistic body types.

Her tasteful way of speaking captured the hearts of customers of all ages, men and women, and thanks to it, the shop was never empty. Grien was also one of Vienna’s regulars.

Standing in front of Vienna, Leasis opened her mouth slightly and admired. Like a famous dressing shop, the store was full of colorful dresses beyond the transparent glass windows. Pink dresses with shawls that could wrap around thick forearms, as well as flat dresses that attracted attention with colorful decorations. All of them were reasonable works that could compensate for the shortcomings of each part of the body.

“Pretty… Oh, my.”

Leasis, who had been blinded by the dresses for a while, came to her senses. She opened the door carefully with both hands. A high-toned laughter rang through her ears.

“That’s why I’m so tight on this guy.”

“Oh, good job, good job.”

The atmosphere was already joyful. There were many women sitting at a round wooden table in the corner of the shop.

It had been going on for a while now, seing as the coffee cups were not even steaming anymore. They picked up cookies on the table and smiled. Leasis was careful not to disturb them.

“Well… Excuse me.”

“Oh my! Who is this? Aren’t you an employee of Liduré?”

“Good morning.”

“What’s going on here?”

Lura, who was sitting in the middle of the shop, stood up pleasantly. Leasis showed her the packs of eggs in her hands.

“I’m here for an errand.”

“Huh? An errand?”

“Grien-nim asked me to send you golden eggs, a special product of the Dratius province. And to get me some clothes as a payment…”

“Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh!”

Lura liked it, clapping her hands.

She asked the guests to take the eggs.

Free food always made them feel excited. The guests laughed at Leasis.

“It’s good to be talented. Did the young lady bring all this by herself?”

“How could we receive such a precious thing?”

“We appreciate if you enjoy it. I would be grateful if you’d like to visit Liduré.”

The guests were very pleased with her charming words. They looked at Leasis with interesting eyes. Her dress was shabby but still looked pretty good. The dexterity of braiding hair or tying apron strings was not common.

“Hoho, you have a pretty face. Let’s talk better. Miss, do you have a lover?”

“Oh my. Now that I look at her, she has a body similar to the one I had in my younger days.”

“Ay, Mrs. Sugart. That’s not true! I’ve seen you half my life, and you’ve never been this slim.”

“I got caught.”

“Hohohoho!”

They were crazy. Leasis laughed awkwardly at the endless chatter. She felt like she was surrounded by merchants in the middle of the market.

Then Lura, who had shared all the eggs, shook her hands. She grabbed Leasis’ shoulders and said in a proud voice.

“Guys, do you know who this lady is? She’s Leasis that Grien loves.”

“Ah! That red-haired employee! I’ve heard about her from Grien.”

“Wow, you’re that employee? I heard you’re faster than a horse.”

“Well… I think that’s an exaggeration.”

The honest answer made the guests burst into laughter. They asked with their eyes clenched.

“What a sweet girl. They say you were originally a maid of the Duke, how did you get here?”

“I used to be a maid. Like that, a low-level maid.”

At that time, a middle-aged woman who was packing eggs in her bag sighed.

“Did you do the maid work? Phew. That’s really something people can’t do.”

“Yes? That’s…”

No. Leasis swallowed back her words. She never got a chance to correct her. This was because the middle-aged woman looked very angry. She almost threw up her anger.

“No, listen. My cousin’s daughter went to work for the knights of the Imperial Palace as a maid. Three times a day she had to take care of a mountain of sweaty laundry, dirt-stained corridors… There was no end to cleaning. Then when the knights wanted to eat again? She was packing their snacks, their drinks, she could not take a break for three days and nights.”

“Oh my God. Oh my. What is that?”

“It’s hell. So did she quit?”

“She couldn’t quit! They threatened her not to even dream of leaving until a replacement comes in.”

She shook her head as she tied the strap of a bag full of eggs.

“Anyway, the problem is that no one wants to come in. Who will crawl into that hellish job? Unless you’re struck by lightning or your head breaks on the ground…”

“So, honey. Which knights are they? The 1st Division? The 2nd?”

She shook her head at the woman’s questions. She put her index finger on her lips.

“Shh. This is a secret… They’re the Imperial Elite Knights.”

“What? No way!”

“Oh my. Don’t play with me. They’re managed by Count Dratius.”

“Sounds like rubbish!”

“No, I’m telling you the truth. Trust me.”

She struck her chest with her fist in frustration. Then she lifted her bag full of eggs.

“If you ask the people working there: ‘Won’t you eat these free eggs, a speciality from the Dratius province?’ They would answer: ‘If I have to work for the Imperial Elite Knights, I would rather go to an uninhabited island and farm by myself’!”

“Oh my…”

“Oh, my God…”

The guests shuddered, murmuring. Leasis was the only one remaining silent.

The Imperial Elite Knights. She only heared this name. The Knights of Hizen, and her goal. Listening to it, it seemed like an opportunity from heaven.

Her red eyes sparkled with hope.

“Well, ma’am!”

“Huh?”

“That bad job. Could you recommend it to me?”

*

The number of eggs dropped noticeably in the afternoon. The employees of Liduré were relieved.

They headed to the kitchen to have a late lunch. Someone had to greet the customers, so Grien and Leasis stayed at the counter.

But Leasis brought up unwelcomed news. Grien’s face became darker than when sales halved.

“If you suddenly quit like this…”

“I’m so sorry.”

Leasis bowed her head with a sinner-like face. She apologized as if she knew nothing but to say sorry.

Grien sighed with her hand on her throbbing forehead. The child to who she wanted to hand over the store quit. She felt bitter.

Furthermore, she could not understand why she was quitting. She could not believe she wanted to work as a maid for the Imperial Elite Knights, who everyone was afraid of.

“Did you get a better offer from somewhere else? Maybe we made you feel uncomfortable…”

“No! Absolutely not. You’ve been so nice to me.”

Liduré was full of nice people like Neren. They treated Leasis as a ‘human’.

When she worked hard, they were truly worried and tried to help. They were rather angry when she worked while being sick. If she ate only lightly, they would give her something more.

Her body was tired, but her heart was warm. People who always smiled and welcomed her, delicious food, and a place where she could sleep peacefully.

It was not luxurious but it was enough for her. If it were not for the promise with Neren, she might have stayed here for the rest of her life.

Leasis’ eyes reddened with regret. She put some energy into her stiff neck.

“Thank you very much. It will be a memory I will never forget.”

“Phew… Leasis.”

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

“Yes.”

Grien must have been angry. Quitting like this, it was really asking for troubles. Leasis closed her eyes tightly.

An unexpected warm voice rang.

“Idiot, why didn’t you get your clothes?”

“…What?”

She raised her head, asking back like a fool. Grien was smiling with a wistful grimace.

“If you order your clothes now, it’ll take a few days to come. I’ll pack them, so make sure to come visit me next time. Oh, my goodness. Setchen would cry and scream if he knew.”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering? Won’t you come back?”

“I’ll… I’ll come. I’ll… I’ll come back.”

Eventually, Leasis burst into tears. Grien gave her a friendly hug, saying she hoped everything would go well.

*

Kasha, the headmaid called the demon of the Imperial Palace. Contrary to her ordinary appearance, her fearsome personality ha kept her as the maid-in-chief for years.

Kasha looked at the red-haired girl before her eyes. It would have been frightening for an average person, but she remained calm. She did not even blink, and she had a straight posture on the chair. She showed no sign of shrinkage or fear.

‘Okay, your appearance passed. That’s the best first impression I’ve ever had of a maid.’

Kasha gave a generous grade and examined her once more carefully. Unlike her face, her height and hands were bigger than most men. Judging from the calluses on her palms and fingers, it was clear that she had lived a hard life.

Her black dress was shabby, but there was no sticking out or tearing. Her tied hair was neat and knotted with sense.

Only an excellent maid could recognize another excellent maid.

Kasha, an outstanding maid, asked in a softer voice.

“Did you say Leasis?”

“Yes.”

“What have you been up to? Have you ever been a maid?”

“Well, I have something to show you instead of an answer.”

Leasis took a piece of paper out of her gray luggage. Kasha tilted her head when she received the paper.

“What’s this?”

“This is my resume.”

“Oh my.”

She could not believe she had even prepared this. That was thorough. Kasha looked at the paper while smiling.

Leasis was from the Duchy of Armada. She had been promoted from a servant to a maid and had a record of serving the eldest son of the Duke. Kasha also liked her other experiences.

But there was something strange. She asked in a sharp voice.

“Who wrote this?”

“I wrote it myself.”

“You? You’re a commoner, and you’ve learned how to write?”

“Yes.”

She opened her eyes wide. Nine out of ten commoners in the Empire could not read.

“Maybe you can read? How is your reading?”

“I have read a lot of books.”

It must have been a long effort for a commoner-born maid to learn how to read. Kasha was very fond of Leasis.

“With this kind of experience…You can be placed in a much better area than the Imperial Elite Knights. If you want, you can be the concubines’ maid.”

“Well, headmaid-nim. I would appreciate it if you could assign me to the Imperial Elite Knights.”

“What?”

Leasis spoke clearly to the embarrassed Kasha.

“I don’t care about the intensity or time of work. I just need to clean up the training ground of the Imperial Elite Knights and eat and sleep nearby.”

Kasha clicked her tongue. In the past, there used to be women like this. Women who dreamed of somehow getting involved with the Imperial Elite Knights, who were the best in the Empire.

Of course, it was all just a dream. The Imperial Elite Knights, managed by Count Dratius, also had a neat privacy. Rather, women were tired of the huge pile of laundry and fell out.

“Leasis, I’m saying this because you’re like a little sister. The Imperial Elite Knights never pay attention to servants or maids like us. Since you’ve decided to work at the Imperial Palace, it would be better to work at a good place, right?”

“Headmaid-nim, I’m sorry, but please assign me as a maid to the Imperial Elite Knights.”

Why on Earth. Leasis answered softly with a suspicious look in her eyes.

“I would like to make sure the place where I will be with my colleagues in the future is clean.”

Was she talking about the maids? She said she had been promoted from a servant to a maid, but she had a strong sense of profession. Kasha, understanding roughly, shrugged her shoulders.

Kasha hated wasting time. She did not have to keep advicing her, but she wanted to. She was trying to understand, when she heard a faint voice.

“And Count Dratius-nim is so dirty.”

“……What?”

Kasha’s reaction skillfully saved her from the situation.

“The room. I heard his room was too dirty.”

“Well… that’s true.”

The two looked at each other and smiled meaningfully.

It was already late. Kasha frowned as usual, not looking at her watch. The conversation with this child was so pleasant that she had lost track of time.

Kasha folded her resume in half. There was no need to say more. If someone like Leasis wanted to work, they would be welcomed with open arms.

“When can you start working?”

“It’s possible from today.”

Kasha smirked at the brave answer. She said, raising her body.

“Good to hear that. Here you go. Will you follow me, then?”

“Well, wait a minute.”

“Hmm?”

Leasis, who got up from her seat, bent down.

“Headmaid-nim, before you hire me as a maid, please evaluate my abilities.”

“What?”

“Please.”

Are you kidding me? Kasha opened her mouth. Leasis did not raised her bent waist.

“Whether it’s laundry or cleaning, I’ll be evaluated. Please give me a chance to be evaluated before joining the Imperial Elite Knights as a maid.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I need a fair process.”

Leasis clenched her fists.

It was time for a counterattack.